Awning



M. S. TYSON Aug. 8, 1939 AWNING Filed Feb. 23, 1938 Patented Aug. ,8, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT orrica 3 Claims.

This invention relates to awning and canopy structures adapted to be made of rigid material such as sheet metal. Its principal object is to provide a simple foldable device of this class capable of production by inexpensive manufacturing operations, adapted. to be quickly and easily installed and removed, and further adapted to be compactly stowed for shipping or when out of use. Additional objects are'to provide a form or forms of the invention having improved ornamenting devices and/or an improved sectional construction which may be accommodated to windows or doors of difierent horizontal lengths.

Of the accompanying drawing,

Fig. l is a front elevation showing a sectional awning constructed according to my invention.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation, partly broken away, approximately on the lines 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 3 and 4 are sections on the lines 3-3 and 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an inner face view of the joint shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a detail section on the line 66 of Fig. l.

Fig. 7 is a detail section on the line 'l-'| of Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a perspective sectional view of one of the rodmountings.

Referring to the drawing i is the sloping front or roof member or panel of the awning, adapted to be made of a suitable rigid material such as sheet metal, and here composed of a number of narrower sections Ill l0, l0", extending from top to bottom thereof. and stamped with shallow, concavo-convex, parallel reinforcing beads or The adjoining margins of t ese sections overlap, and the channels H, l2 nest o interlock as shown at theright in Fig. 3. Each of t-he endmost sections I i is formed with a flange l3 turned inwardly at right angles to its main web, and the intermediate sections I 0 Ill may be of two or more different widths to provide an ornamental effect and also to more readily obtain the desired total. length by combining a suitable number of such sections.

A quick-detachable, tool-less connection between the window frame or other part of the building and the upper edge of the body panel I0 is provided by a horizontal anchoring strip l5, attached by screws I6 or otherwise to the building, and upwardly curled at its lower edge channels 11, 12 at their \tigitudinal margins.

in a semi-tubular, upwardly-open, hooked or trough-shaped coupling member ll, together with a complemental, slightly narrower, downwardly curled coupling member W of similar shape formed at the upper edge of each section of the awning member it]. In assembling these parts, the sections of the panel l0, placed upright or approximately vertical as shown by the dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 6, are successively connected with the stationary anchoring strip by hooking their coupling members it downwardly into the complemental stationary member ll, whereupon, on swinging the panel Hi outwardly into its normally sloping position, the two hooked members become interlocked against vertical displacement. By a reversal of such action, the panel I0 is disengaged from the anchoring strip l5.

At the lower end of the panel Ill, its sections are maintained in alignment by means of a horizontal tubular rod I 9, which may also serve as a pivotal suspension for stringing together the sheet-metal pieces or sections 20 of an ornamental fringe or border structure 20, upon said lower edge of the body panel. Each of said pieces is in alignment with one of the sections of the panel l0, and the rod 19 passes through alternating tubular hinge sheaths or eyes 2|, 22

formed on the panel and fringe sections respectively.

The awning is further provided with two vertical triangular wing members or end panels 23, each preferably in one piece of sheet metal, stamped with vertical reinforcing ribs or channels 24'and with a plurality of vertical rows or tiers of downwardly-open louvers 25 for ventilation. Ventilating louvers could also be placed elsewhere on the awning.

Each wing panel 23 is connected at its lower outer corner or apex with the lower edge of the body panel H) by means of detachable hinge joints, one of which is shown in detail in Fig. 7, formed between the end of the tubular rod l9 and the forward end of a horizontal rod 26. The latter is carried by the lower edge of wing panel 23 and serves as a prop against the window frame H to hold the awning outwardly in its operative position. Each of these joints is made by a hook 21 formed on the outer end of rod 26 and entering the tubular rod l9 through a hole 28 in the rear side of the latter.

The rod 26 is strung through tubular sheath 0 members or eyes 2!! turned inwardly on the lower edge of wing panel 23, and it may also act as a suspension for an ornamental fringe or border structure 30 similar to the one 20, composed of individual sections having hinge eyes 3| alternating with the eyes 29. At its inner end, each rod 26 is stepped against the window frame in a suitable anchoring bracket 32. This preferably has the form shown in Fig. 8, including a base 33 screwed to the window frame and provided with a holder or socket portion 34 of U-shaped section, open on the side toward the interior of the awning, for receiving the stem of rod 26. The inner extremity of the rod is bent at right angles at 35 to extend through a hole 36 in the holder and is detachably retained by a cotter pin 31. When the end of rod 26 is out of the bracket 32, said rod may be swung around alongside of the tubular'rod i9, as shown by the dotand-dash lines in Fig. '7, and in that position its hooked end may be detached from or engaged with the end of said rod IS.

A detachable hinge connection is made between the upper corner or apex portion of each wing member 23, and the adjacent portion of the flange IS on the end section Hi of panel ID, by means of one or more locking tongues or cars 38, oflset from the plane of member 23 and passing through slots 39 formed in the flange, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4 and 5. Fig. 2 shows two of these tongue and slot fasteners, but they may be more or less in number, from one to a full row extending along the side edge of the panel Hi.

In connecting either wing member 23 with the panel ill, the rod 26 and its attached wing panel are placed longitudinally of the tubular rod IS, on the inner side of the front panel l0, and the hooked end of rod 26 is passed through the aperture 28 in said tubular rod, as represented by the dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 7. The top corner of member 23 is then brought up substantially against the under side of panel l0, nearly at right angles to the flange I3, while the tongues 38 are slipped through the slots 39, and in substantially that folded relation of front panel and wing members the awning may be packed or put away when not in use. During erection, each wing may be swung down into a substantially vertical position, bringing the inner end of rod 26 into the holder of the bracket 32, so that its bent extremity 35 passes through the bracket hole 36 and may be secured by the pin 31.

It will be apparent that my invention provides a simple and inexpensive awning, adapted to be made of stiff material such as sheet metal, whichwill be much more durable than those made with a fabric web, that thestructure may be compactly stowed for shipping or when not in use, and that it is easily erected, after attaching the supporting strip l5 and brackets 32 to the building, by a person standing on the inside at the open window and extending his upper body through the frame II to see the attachments and manipulate the awning. The top connection is first made by hooking the upper end of panel ill to said strip as illustrated in broken lines in Fig. 6. 'I'hereupon, the triangular wing panels 23 having previously been attached to the panel III as above set forth, said panel I0 is swung outwardly on the hinge I1, I! to a sloping position slightly beyond that shown in Fig. 2, the wing panels 23 are concurrently unfolded and the inner ends of the rods 26 may then be attached to the brackets 32 as just described, thereby completing the installation. Where the awning cannot conveniently be handled through a window opening, its erection, or concurrent assembling and erection, can be carried on from outside the building, with the aid of one or more ladders, or a stage. Dismounting is easily effected by reversing the erecting operations, and the parts I! and 32 may be left on the building for a subsequent mounting of the awning if desired.

The invention is susceptible of modification I without departing from the scope thereof as defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. A canopy structure comprising a rigid body panel formed at its upper edge for downward hooked engagement with anchoring means on a building, and a rigid triangular wing panel, said panels having adjoining edges provided with separable upper and lower tool-less interlocked hinge fastenings, the upper one of which is formed by a slotted flange on the body panel and an offset tongue on the wing panel adapted to be entered in the slot of said flange when'said wing panel is swung inwardly in relation to the body panel.

2. An awning structure comprising a rigid body panel formed at its upper edge for downward hooked engagement with anchoring means on a building, and a rigid triangular wing panel, said panels having adjoining edges provided with separable upper and lower tool-less interlocked hinge fastenings the lower one of which is formed by parts on the body and wing panels having detachable hooked engagement with each other, and the upper fastening is formed by a slotted flange on the body panel and an interengaging offset tongue on the wing panel.

3. An awning structure comprising a rigid body panel, a rigid triangular wing panel hingedly connected to one edge of the body panel, a side apertured tube at the lower portion of the body panel and a rod at the lower portion 01' the wing panel for hooked engagement with said tube.

- MILLER S. TYSON. 

